Rodel America

Innovative leadership workshops for state and local leaders
across the United States.

Rodel America

Rodel America applies the proven Rodel Fellowship model at the state and regional level. The program selects a cohort of 18 to 24 elected officials from the same region, balanced between the parties and reflecting the area’s ideological dynamics. The cohort gathers for a rigorous series of three multi-day seminars held over a one-year period. Seminar discussions are designed to increase mutual understanding, create an atmosphere conducive to problem-solving, foster dynamic leadership, and identify areas of shared concern and common values. Our goal is to break down partisan barriers among elected officials, building relationships and trust that will change the way state leaders interact and solve problems. Through thought-provoking readings, open and honest conversations, and time spent in fellowship, participants revisit the passions that drove them to elected office while fostering connections that they carry back to their everyday work. Rodel has run two state-level programs, one in Rhode Island and one Washington state, and is expanding the program to other regions around the United States.

For more information, please contact Samantha Thompson-Foster.

OUR Programs

Rodel Rhode Island

Rodel Washington

Rodel gathered 22 state and local-level elected officials from across the state. The cohort gathered three times between April 2023 and December 2023. Working with leading scholars as moderators, the Fellows read and discussed classic texts dealing with ethical values, democratic principles, and wise and effective leadership.

Rodel Washington selected a cohort of 18 elected officials. The group gathered for three multi-day seminars between December 2022 and December 2023 to consider their role as leaders and read and discuss texts such as the Declaration of Independence, George Washington’s Farewell Address, John Winthrop’s City upon a Hill, and Federalist No. 10.

Our Fellows

What Our People Say About Us

The most impactful aspect of this experience was to recognize our place in and responsibility to American democracy. We have a tendency to become complacent and follow a 'business as usual' model in our daily work. Rodel is a reminder of the temporary opportunity I have to lead well. I left Rodel eager to model prudence and be more visible in the community as a fair, engaged leader.

Natalie WimberleyPeninsula School Board Member, Washington
Rodel Washington Fellow Class of 2022

My interactions with other Washington elected officials absolutely influenced my approach to policy—for example, a long conversation with several Mayors at the December 2022 Rodel meeting strongly influenced my views during the 2023 legislative session on Washington State drug policy.

Drew HansenState Senator, Washington
Rodel Washington Fellow Class of 2022

Latest News

Announcements | Rodel America

A Year of Connection in California

Last year, Rodel America launched Rodel California, a new state-based fellowship designed to convene emerging local and state leaders for a year-long leadership development program. Over three seminars, this bipartisan cohort engaged with foundational texts on democracy, identity, and polarization, exploring what it means to lead in a complex and divided world. In January, 21 […]

First Seminar for Rodel Class of 2026

The Rodel Institute is pleased to announce the selection and first meeting of the 2026 Class of Rodel Fellows. The Class of 2026 includes 22 state and local officials from across the country and divided equally between the political parties. Rodel Fellows are selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees for their commitment to […]

James Davison Hunter wins 2025 Edwards Book Award

The Rodel Institute is delighted to announce that James Davison Hunter’s book, Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis, has won the 2025 Edwards Book Award. The prize will be conferred on September 25th at the University of Virginia’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, which is co-hosting this […]